The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-14
Something About the Complicated and Deli
cate Questions the Justices Of the Supreme
Court Are Called Upon to Decide.
The Congress Growing More Liberal in
the Matter of Public Buildings.
Private Claims and the Cost of the Present
System of Observation-Disclosures
Required for Free Postal Delivery.
THE TELEPHONE CASES.


The Vast Interests Involved, the Fate of
Which Rests with the Supreme Court.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 The magnitude of the
interests involved, by many placed as high as
800 000, ,000; the rival claims to of the great
est of modern inventions; the open charges of
fraud against Bell and of imrosture against
Drawbaugh; the brilliant array of counsel; the
scientific theories advanced in explanation of the
marvellous combination of the laws of acoustics
and of electricity to produce the miracle known
as the telephone and the unusual time given to
the argument by the court, make truly cele-
brated case of the telephone controversy which
has just been argued and submitted to the Su-
preme Court of the United States. When the
| case opened two weeks were assigned to the ar
gument, and for the first time in the history of
the court the reading, on Monday-the decision
day-was omitted, that the time might be given
to the counsel in the telephone cases There
were five cases, by as many different companies
and inventions all antagonizing the Bell patent
The Dolbear case was only for piece Of the tel
ephone-only plea to be let in with the Bell
! patent to the exclusion OF all others, on the
| ground that Dolbear ought to be allowed to use
| half of telephone of his own with half Of
| Bells
| The Molecular company deny the originality
| Of the Bell invention, and insist that Philip
Reiss, the German, the inventor. The Clay
| company attacks the bell company the ab-
sence of some legal formaities in its organiza
tion, as well as otherwise. The Peoples com
! pany claim that the tel hone was the invention
of Daniel Dravsa II Pennsylvania. and
| that he first produc 9TH the magnetic aRd the
carbon telephone. The Overland company derry
| the validity of the Bell patent all of the
| above men toned grounds, ana also charge that
| Bell, by the corrupt aid Of patent lawyer, and
| tho corrupt conduct of examiner in the Pat
| ent Office, purloined from Elisha Gray his in.
| vention of transmitter. This, in brief, out
| lines the different directions from which came
| the great and combined onslaught OF. the Bel
| people in the Supreme Conrt. Bells lawyers
met the assault of their antagonists in these five
cases with the claim that to make a telephone of
| the Reiss device was scientific impossibility;
| that Drawbaugh was a charlatan and an i'm
postor, and that Gray had himself admitted
| that Bell had created the telephone.
The court has some knotty and intricate ques-
| tons to decide, and months may elapse before a.
| conclusion is reached in these cases. such as
| whether the laws of electricity and acoustics
can be monopolized by discoverer of theiz
power in combination. If yes, then who was
the discoverer9 If nay, then how much Of the
telephone is patentable' Whether Drawbaugh's
! claim to priority of invention is good, and
whether Gray's caveat furnished Bell the basis
of his patent 1t is the opinion Of many people,
including, it is said the Bell people themselves
that the greatest danger to the Bell patent cores
from the Drawbaugh patent, whose attorneys
produced what they claimed overwhelming
| testimony that their client exhibited speaking
telephone at his shop, near Harrisburg. Pa.
| long before the date Of Bells patent. Seventy
| witnesses have that they talked
| through it. Mr. Storrow, for the
Bell company; Mr.. LowerY. for tho
| Molecular company. and Mr.. Lysander Hill. for
| the Drawbaugh company. made the scientific ar
euments before the court. and each seemed to
edge, and all prevailing theories concerning the
laws Of sound and electricity. They were lis
| tened to with close attention. and were often
questioned by the judges The case cannot be
decided until each judge has examined the record
| some twenty thousand pages-as fully as he
desires. Then in a consultation of the court the
Judgment of each member will be given, and
| then the Chief Justice will assign to one Of the
majority the duty of writing the opinion of the
court Copies of the record at each
judges room Whether the months vacation.
just taken by the court. will afford sufficient
time for its examination is somewhat doubtful
The opinion may be reached in time to be writ
ten and announced before the Adjournment in
| May, or it may not be ready for announcement
before the October term.